Accused Arpit Rathore brought to Ludhiana on production warrant

Police said the fraudsters kept the 82-year-old industrialist under constant surveillance via Skype, instructing him to keep his camera on

The cyber crime police station, Ludhiana, has brought Arpit Rathore on a production warrant in connection with the ₹7-crore cyber fraud involving Padma Bhushan awardee and industrialist SP Oswal, chairman of the Ludhiana-based Vardhman Group.

The FIR was registered on August 31, 2024, after Oswal was allegedly duped of ₹7 crore. (HT Photo)

Rathore was lodged in Kapurthala Jail and was produced before a local court, which remanded him to two days’ police custody for questioning.

Police said Rathore was a close aide of key accused Rumi Kalita of Assam and allegedly used the bank account of another accused, Atnu Chaudhry of Guwahati, to facilitate transactions linked to the fraud. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is also probing the case, had earlier arrested Rathore and Kalita. Both were lodged in Kapurthala Jail.

Inspector Satbir Singh, SHO of the cyber crime police station, said Rathore’s role surfaced during the investigation, prompting the police to secure his custody for further interrogation. He added that Chaudhry had first been arrested along with Anand Kumar in September 2024 and was later released on bail with directions to join the probe but failed to appear. He was arrested again in May 2025.

The FIR was registered on August 31, 2024, after Oswal was allegedly duped of ₹7 crore. Police said the fraudsters kept the 82-year-old industrialist under constant surveillance via Skype, instructing him to keep his camera on and refrain from contacting anyone during the execution of the fraud. Investigations are ongoing.